During the month of July, I like to gather shelf-stable summer foods into my 3-month emergency food storage supply. You know, those foods you use at summer gatherings such as crackers, chips, gelatin, pudding, food bars, popcorn, vinegar, olives, and jam. They store well in your pantry for emergencies too. And vinegar is good for cleaning too! You don't have to go overboard on the amounts. Just focus on these foods, and then always keep a three-month supply of them on hand.

My spiritual theme this month is Be Guardians by protecting "our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children" just as Captain Moroni did in the Book of Mormon. (see Alma 46). Share over social media how you feel about your freedom of religion and how grateful you are for those who defend it every day.

LONG-TERM STORAGEThis month, I also like to gather honey and add it to my long-term emergency food storage. Those honey bees have worked hard to bring us such a blessing. Honey is a wonderful natural sweetener and is useful in bread making and other cooking. I love peanut butter and honey sandwiches! How about you? Honey has an indefinite shelf life which means it's great for long-term food storage. If you live in Utah, check out my post on Where to Buy Honey in Utah.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS LIST
My July Emergency Preparedness list has all the items I focus on gathering in July, and some emergency supplies as well. I include some suggested amounts for my family, but play around with those amounts to figure out storage amounts for yours. Here is how to use my July Emergency Preparedness List:

Choose things you can afford to do or have time to do each week. Keep it simple.

Multiply amounts by the # of your family members, and adjust items for kids, medical needs and allergies.

Watch for sales, and gather food storage a week at a time while you grocery shop to build up your supplies. Then repurchase as you use your food. But never completely empty your shelves.

EMERGENCY EVACUATION DRILLS
During the summer months, many of us have more time to practice an emergency plan and an evacuation drill with our families. What is your family emergency plan? What will you do if you get separated because of a disaster? What will you take if you need to evacuate? Who is your out-of-state contact? Work on your plan. See helpful ideas here:

SHOP FOR EMERGENCY SURVIVAL GEAR
If you like to can your own food, gather canning supplies this month. Canning is a great method for gathering food storage using your own fruits and vegetables.

July is a great month for emergency survival gear sales AKA camping supplies. In an emergency, what will you cook on? During a power outage, where will you store your perishable food? This month I suggest getting a camp stove and fuel, and a cooler/igloo. Do you already have them? You are awesome! A few months ago my husband went on a camping trip and replaced our wimpy cooler with an awesome one. Love it when we can get two things done at once.

In August I suggest buying sleeping bags and a tent, but if you need it now and find it on sale now, go for it! One of our tents died on the last camping trip with friends. It was raining and everyone moved from two tents to one tent. Thankfully I wasn't there, but I heard it was quite squishy. So, we are looking at one from REI.

Best wishes on your continual efforts with food storage and emergency preparedness. Keep it simple. Keep it basic. Make it work for your family, and it will become a natural part of your life. You CAN do it!

Best wishes,

Valerie

BE GUARDIANS

"And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—

4 comments:

Hi Valerie, I am LOOONG overdue in my family emergency prep. My family just moved to Utah from Arizona at the end of June and I am ready to start my emergency prep! In regards to your 12 month food storage lists, are the items listed "per person?"

STEP 2: STORE DRINKING WATER for times when your water supply is limited. I store a 2 week supply (14 gallons) per person. I buy cases of water, and store in barrels too. Drink some, buy or fill some more.

ALL-TIME PAGE VIEWS

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have received one or more of the products or services mentioned in some of my posts for free. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” All opinions expressed on this blog are my own and all content is mine.

Though I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am not an official church representative. Suggestions about food storage, emergency preparedness, items to purchase, gather or store for your family are just that; suggestions. You are the best judge of what works for your family. You promise to release me from all liability for any suggestions or opinion which may cause harm to you or your family. Thank you!